The Power of Medical Discourse

Essay from the year 2012 in the subject Cultural Studies - Basics and Definitions, grade: 1, Massey University, New Zealand, language: English, abstract: In an age where growing technological advances in medicine are met by a population that is increasingly becoming more distanced to the process of medical development and treatment, "the penetration of capital into health care has become a highly contradictory process" (Baer, 2001, p. 49). As a result of pharmaceutical companies evolving more active and sometimes insidious roles within medicine, the organisation of power has shifted from being a relatively equal process between physicians and patients, to one that is now dominated by both medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies. Clinical Drug Trials (CDTs) represent a succinct example of how the biomedical system is inherently structured to maintain power imbalances between medical professionals and patients, with these imbalances manifesting on a socio-cultural and political level. By outlining a brief historical background of the medical movement from the 18th century to modern times and my experience of being a patient in CDTs, I will link my own perceptions and experiences of CDTs to the theories of Foucault and demonstrate how uneven power relations are heavily influenced by concepts of truth, language, and perception. The significance of Foucault's theories on understanding the various forms and complexities of power within CDTs are shown to be valuable when applying an anthropological framework.